of finding you out eventually."

Thornhill paused in his reading, and frowned. The reference to an
address of `ever so many years ago' awoke unpleasant memories. His
address at that time was fairly public property, and it was the same one
that he owned now.

"I have not been many days here," the letter went on, "but it seems a
delightful country, and I should like to see more of it. Can you take
me in for a little while, and if so, please write or wire how I can
get to you, and when. I have always heard that colonial ways are
unconventional, and colonial houses `elastic,' which sounds perfectly
delightful, and emboldens me to sink ceremony. Hoping this will find
you,

"Yours very truly,

"Evelyn Carden."

"Read that, and tell me what you think of it, Edala," said Thornhill,
handing over the letter.

The girl took it eagerly.

"I don't know," she said, when she was through with it. "It sounds as
if she might be nice. I see she writes from the Royal in Durban. But--
when? She gives no date."

"Of course not--being a female. Nor does the postmark help any, as I
said before."

"Well, the postmark is neither designed nor executed by `females',"
retorted Edala.

"True, O Queen. You have me there. Well? What do you think of it?"

"Wire her to come, by all means. I like her free and easy style. She
ought to be nice. But what's she like, and who is she, when all's said
and done?"

"First for the wire. Gomfu is waiting as it is. Then we can enter into
explanations."

He got out a telegraph form and wrote:

"Miss Carden Royal Hotel Durban Train to Telani will meet you there
only give a day or two for reply wire very welcome address Care of
Elvesdon Kwabulazi: Thornhill."

"Wa Gomfu!" he hailed.

"_Nkose_!"

The boy was round in a moment.

"Here. See that this goes directly you get back. Have they given you
coffee in the kitchen, for the night is cold?"

"_Nkose_ is my father. Ramasam is a very induna of the fire. Never
have I met such coffee as his."

"Well, here is _gwai_," handing him a span of Boer tobacco. "Now go--
and here is yet a letter to take."

"_Nkose_!"

The boy disappeared and soon the retreating hoofs of his undersized pony
could be heard splashing through the sludgy surface of the saturated
veldt. The dogs growled again, presumably because having seen the same
postboy appear regularly twice a week and go away again those sagacious
ani